7th Heaven
by Mysteriol
Summary: [7snogs challenge on LJ community] TouyaxNakuru. UPDATE, chapter 5.
1. mayonnaise vs strawberry jam

Title: mayonnaise versus strawberry jam  
Author: mysterio000  
Pairing: touyaxnakura  
Fandom: CCS  
Theme: #5, argument  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer.

_A/N: _

_am so happy, i snagged TouyaxNakuru (being the avid fan that i am) on LJ community, 7snogs. Whee. _

"Mayonnaise? Gross." Nakuru snatched the mayonnaise bread from Touya's hand, who frowned immediately.

"Dammit, Akizuki. Give it back to me."

"How can you stand eating something so...eewy?" Nakuru made that word up along, as she examined the yellow substance oozing out of the two slices of bread that were meshed along with it.

"Fine, then don't complain if you're not eating it." Touya tried to reach for his breakfast again, but Nakuru was jumping up and down intentionally to prevent him from grabbing his desired food. "Give it back to me, Akizuki."

"No, eeew. Mayonnaise is gross. I'm preventing you from making the worse eating decision in your life."

"Very funny, Akizuki, I'm amused," Touya rolled his eyes, "But mayonnaise is NOT gross."

"It so is." She challenged. "Name one reason why it is not!"

"Because I like it, no matter how gross you think it is, okay?" He was frowning, looking grumpy by now.

"Here, you can have my breakfast - strawberry jam sandwich!" And she handed him her breakfast from her lunchbox. It made him eye the reddish pink substance that was very gooey-like with wariness.

"What the hell is this?"

Nakuru looked irritated. "Strawberry jam. I said already, Touya."

Touya flinched involuntarily. Strawberry jam made teeth go, well, red. Or pink. He pushed it away from his sight. "No, I don't like strawberry jam."

"It's better than mayonnaise." She said with affirmation in her voice.

"No, it isn't." He tried reaching for his mayonnaise sandwich back.

"Try strawberry," she almost shoved the sandwich in his mouth, until he recoiled away with haste, "it's MUCH better than mayonnaise, I assure you."

"No, go to hell." He told her off, but she was too busy trying to stuff the strawberry jam sandwich in his mouth. "Dammit, get that thing away from my face, Akizuki!"

She giggled like a schoolgirl, "Never, Touya-kun! Fight my strawberry jam and die! Mayonnaise loses!"

"In your dreams. Mayonnaise is much more delicious than strawberry jam." He constantly argued. By now, he was contemplating running away from Nakuru's death shoving of pink stuff into his mouth. "Get away from me."

And she abruptly pulled back, a smirk on her lips. "Ok, sure, Touya." And she popped the mayonnaise sandwich into her mouth.

Touya's eyes widened into the size of saucer as he hastily tried to reach out and salvage his half-digested sandwich. "Akizuki! Give that back!"

"Here, you can have my strawberry jam." She teased, shoving it into her mouth.

"Dammit, what the hell have you done to my mayonnaise sandwich!" And he abruptly lunged at her, causing her to hastily swallow the mayonnaise sandwich at the sudden move of his. She hurriedly tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he was too quick, too strong, and in one second, he was atop her, and--

"Touya, what are you--mfff!"

And she never got to finish her words. Touya had accidentally kissed her on her mayo-tinged lips.

His eyes grew very, very wide.

Nakuru was beginning to think Touya could be very desperate when it came to his mayonnaise sandwich, even when he hadn't mean it.

**owari **


	2. confessions in the rain

Title: confessions in the rain  
Author: mysterio000  
Fandom: CCS  
Pairing: touyaxnakuru  
Theme: #3, embrace  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer here.

They stood in the rain.

She, drenched to the skin, clad in wet school uniform that clung onto her frame.

He, a few metres away, the raindrops splashing onto his cheeks from the ends of his brown fringe.

They stared at each other, had been staring for quite some time. Similar chocolate orbs met matching colored ones, and for a really long time, no words were exchanged, and their looks were almost blank, emotionless.

Until she finally broke out smiling, and the edges of her lips were tugged onto, the inches of her smile increasing ever.

"Touya-kun?" Her voice was quiet, hesitant. Tentative, even. Probably so much unlike her, but then again, she only wanted to make sure he had really said that, that she hadn't heard wrong.

"Yes?" He barely breathed. His voice was hoarse, whether from the physical cold that chilly rain gave him, or from the emotions choking at his throat, he wasn't sure.

"Touya." She pronounced his name with clarity, distinctively. It was a statement this time, as if to make sure he was there before her, that he wasn't a dream. That he was real.

"Yes." To which he replied. His eyes never left hers.

"Can you," her eyes sparkled, shone, melting a part of him he never knew was possible, "can you say that again?"

He was silent, quiet, for a while. His heart was swelling so much, his throat was choking on so many emotions, he wasn't sure if he could tell her anymore things. If he did, he would probably stumble on his words, choke, embarrass himself. End up screwing everything. But then, he had to try.

"I..." He paused, his eyes suddenly shy, on the floor, searching, searching. "I..." His eyes then met hers again. "I think--" he shook his head, "no, forget that. I don't think..."

She laughed abit, despite the tension arising in the air. Under her softened gaze, he relaxed his shoulders, and a small smile touched his lips as well, matching hers.

"I don't think, because I know." He searched for the right words, before deciding to forget it, and plunge right into the matter at heart. "I know I..." he bit his lips. He couldn't say those words, no matter what. He knew he had to try, to express his sincerity, but he was Touya Kinomoto, and words didn't came easy to him.

"I..." He stuttered, sought for synonyms for that three damnable words, until he realized it was no longer necessary. She had closed their distance in three quick strides, and had threw herself into his arms.

Surprised, he let her do so, a tremor running up his spine as he felt her hands enveloped around his neck, her breath hot against his. Her heart thudding against his quick, pounding one. Her hair tickling his nose. Her scent making his senses reel.

His eyes softened, his smile, as well. A tentative hand reached out, to encircle around her small waist.

She was laughing, the sounds muffled against his chest. "Mou, anou baka. I don't expect you to say something that mushy in my face. That's so not Touya!"

He had to laugh as well, as he held her, like a precious porcelain doll.

Above the thunder, he heard her breathe, and say the magic words that made him think like he was the world's luckiest man.

"Because I feel the same, too, Touya."

He shook his head inwardly. No, he didn't think. He knew.

He _was_ the world's luckiest man, because he had her now.

**owari **


	3. observations of an old couple

Title: observations of an old couple  
Author: mysterio000  
Pairing: txn  
Fandom: CCS  
Theme: #1, uniform  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer here

Nakuru peered over the ice cream parlor bar, amusing herself for a while by watching the people. It was a hot afternoon. Not much people yet, and business was not so busy yet. Beside her, Touya stood still, eyes surveying the scene, too.

"Nice afternoon." She said randomly. They were wearing uniforms, still, having applied for a job at the ice cream parlor downtown during school term. Touya needed the money, but she...well, she wanted to be with him. Not like he needed to know, anyway.

Touya glanced up at the cloudy skies. "...Sure is."

She frowned. "Mou, you're always so grumpy, Touya."

It was his turn to frown. "What do you expect of me, then?"

"To smile often? I don't know." She told him cheerfully, pushing her elbows off the ice cream parlor bar she was leaning against. She wore a pink visor atop her uniform. She was on roller blades, as all ice cream waitresses here were supposed to do so.

"You don't smile when there is no reason to." He replied flatly.

"But I'm here, right?" She teased.

He scoffed. "...All the more there is no reason."

She playfully pouted, her two brown ponytails swinging behind her head, before she returned to watching the people. Their gazes were directed at the same position, and they were observing an elderly couple in the distance, who sat by the benches.

The old woman was quietly eating her muffin, until the old man by her side halted her actions, by leaning forward to use a handkerchief to wipe away the remains that was left at the edges of her mouth.

She smiled him a quiet thank-you, and used a tissue paper to wipe the beads of perspiration off the old man's forehead.

He returned the smile, and they both silently went back to munching on their muffins.

"Sugoi, ne?" Nakuru interrupted his thoughts.

He blinked, and nodded. "Yeah."

"It's hard to find an old couple like this these days."

He nodded. "Yeah..." He was still gazing at the old couple. She waved a hand before his eyes, and he blinked.

"What?"

"Earth to Touya."

"Reporting, Captain Akizuki." He rolled his eyes, and she laughed.

Then she leant forward suddenly, causing him to instinctively inch away from the uncomfortable nearness.

"There's a small leaf on your collar." Easily, like the briefest, most exquisite touch of a kiss, she brushed it away from his uniform with fingers.

He suppressed a shudder, and took a step back in hope to get away from the maelstrom of foreign, strange feelings within him.

He felt a sense of deja vu, except that this scene had been adapted not from his own life, but like the old couple's that was displayed awhile ago before his eyes. Like when the old lady had wiped off the old man's perspiration with her tissue paper, and right now, as Nakuru was adjusting his collar, straightening it against his uniform.

"There, much better." She pulled away, and he decided not to think about the sudden sense of loss he felt.

She returned back to watching the couple innocently, elbows propped against the ice cream bar, and him, quietly gazing at her back.

"There's something in your hair." He said suddenly.

Then, slowly, but surely, he leant forward, and with gentle fingers, brushed off the fallen small leaves from her hair.

She turned, and smiled at him.

**owari **


	4. three steps behind, under an umbrella

Title: three steps behind, under an umbrella  
Author: mysterio000  
Pairing: TouyaxNakuru  
Fandom: CCS  
Theme: #2, jealousy  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer here.

Credits: to the creators of DN Angel anime, for inspiring this scene, which was adapted from the part where Daisuke comforted Risa, while Riku stood behind to watch.

Nakuru held the umbrella above the two of them - no, not herself, but above Touya, and the girl that he was holding in his arms.

Her chocolate eyes sought for the sky. Some raindrops splashed onto her cheeks, some hung at the ends of her eyelashes, and she closed her eyes momentarily as they rolled down her face like crystal dewdrops.

"I don't want him to leave me." The girl was sobbing in Touya's arms, holding onto him beseechingly. Nakuru glanced down, as she continued to hold out the umbrella to shelter them from the downpour.

Touya's eyes were extremely soft, as he held the delicate person in his embrace. He was soothing the girl's flame locks, patting on her back occasionally to comfort her. "Don't think about it anymore..."

Nakuru watched from three steps behind, and felt her heart clench quite painfully.

The girl now looked into Touya's brown, concerned, worried eyes. But Nakuru knew something she didn't know. That there was love in those eyes as well. Touya loved her, but the girl in his arms loved another.

And, Nakuru thought with a sigh that never escaped her lips, she of all people, had to love Touya.

Her fingers gripped the hold of the umbrella tighter, and her knuckles were set white against the stormy weather backdrop. She directed her gaze downwards to the ground.

It was hard to watch.

"Touya," the girl's voice was pleading, and tragically beseeching and muffled against Touya's chest, "won't you help me forget him?"

Touya stiffened in the rain, but then relaxed almost immediately. The two of them pulled away, and he looked into her eyes. "I--"

"Touya?" The girl pleaded.

_I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. _Nakuru chanted the mantra in her eyes repeatedly. Half of her considered running away from this scene, to ensure she wasn't going to be knowing what she was missing out. But if she ran away now, she would be a bad friend to Touya, who didn't shelter him and the one he loved in the rain when he needed her the most.

"...Silly girl." He leant forward to wipe the tears from the girl's eye. "You'll forget him eventually."

"B-But, won't you help me?"

Touya looked away, and for a moment, inadvertently caught Nakuru's gaze, who instantly adverted hers away to the sky immediately.

Touya's heart swayed. His senses reeled. He did not know why, and wished not to.

He turned back to the girl. She needed him most now.

"Yes, whatever you wish."

And the girl embraced him and cried her heart out. Touya held her closer to her side.

Three steps behind, under an umbrella, Nakuru Akizuki stood, wholesome on her two feet. But deep within, she knew everything had been fragmented and torn into bits and pieces.

_I won't cry. I won't run away. Touya and the girl he loves needs me here. _

Nakuru blinked constantly, trying to make sure the tears would just go away.

The rain continued to pour.

Touya looked up and purposefully caught her glimpse. He mouthed the word 'arigatou'. She simply nodded, and shot him the brightest, most cheerful smile she could muster, however forceful it actually was.

Reassured, Touya turned back to the girl in his arms.

_Don't cry for someone who has already another! _

One tear drop meshed with the raindrop against her cheek.

_Anou baka, Akizuki! You're an idiot! Don't cry! Don't cry now, not when Touya is here!_

Another tear followed.

_You know he loves another. _

She nodded, to herself, hastily thumbing the third tear away from eye in hope no one had seen it.

_And why do you insist on loving him when you already knew that he'll never be yours in the first place? _

The tears kept coming successively. She gave up, and resorted to just turning her head away, as Touya busied himself with comforting the girl in his arms.

Three steps behind the couple, soaked and drenched as she held out the umbrella to them to keep them dry, she could no longer differ the raindrops or the teardrops that were on her cheeks.

She thanked the rain for covering up her weakness. That she was crying.

And the horrible truth.

She gave a soft sigh, and a small bittersweet smile as she turned back to watch them embrace under the umbrella she offered.

_Because I just do. _

**owari **


	5. stuff the sushis in one go

Title: stuff the sushis in one go  
Author: mysterio000  
Pairing: touyaxnakuru  
Fandom: CCS  
Theme: #7, milk  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer here.

"Stuff the sushis in your mouth!" She was poking him with the chopsticks in her hand. "Stuff it, stuff it!"

Touya was on the verge of throwing up, but he held it back, as he used a finger to push back the edge of his lips, just enough to shove another sushi in. Some rice grains fell out as a result.

"Mmmph mmph--" was his best attempt to talk. His eyes grew wide. He was wondering why he had bothered listening to her, and her challenge to see whose mouth was bigger by stuffing as many sushis as they can into the mouth.

He was the first to go. And he was now super sure that she wasn't able to follow suit after what he had done. He had fallen into her trick, simply.

"Stuff it!" She was laughing, her chocolate eyes shining as she continued to use a chopstick to now poke the sushi into his mouth, aiding his efforts by ensuring the rice grains did not fall out.

"Mmmph mmph." He said.

She was laughing so hard, her tummy ached. Nakuru had tears at her eyes, as she bent forward with her hands at her sides, her eyes acquiring chocolate-like twinkles.

He froze suddenly, and rice grains fell out of his mouth.

"Oh my!" She suddenly leant forward quick, grabbing a cup of milk in her hand as she quickly offered it to him. "Are you choking on me, Touya-kun?"

He had only realized how beautiful her eyes were when she laughed, or especially so when she laughed.

"Touya-kun!" She started nearly hyperventilating, and panicking. She hurriedly patted him on his back, hoping it would ease the choke. "You're freaking me out, Touya!"

And he began to cough, not because of what she did, but because of realizing his stupidity of merely freezing because he thought she was beautiful. Damn him. His brains had been addled.

"Mmmph mmph." I'm fine, he wanted to say, but it came out as that.

"Are you okay?" She leant forward with big beautiful brown eyes staring innocently into his, leaning over with concern as she held out the glass of milk for him. "Come on, drink this. You'll feel better. Take small bites now." He did as she said, gulping, swallowing, like some animal on display.

"Slowly!" She lectured him. And he did.

When the sushis finally ceased from popping out from his mouth - a pretty gross sight not to say the least, he finally was able to look at her.

"Mou, Touya," she was rolling her eyes, "you have milk all over your mouth now."

He blinked. "Really?" He could talk, finally.

She laughed, and leant forward to press a tissue to his lips. "I was only joking about the sushi challenge! You didn't have to take it seriously, you dork!"

"True men keep to their words. Now it's your turn." He was still staring openly at her eyes...and then moving down slowly to trace the outlines of her distinct features, down, down, down to those lips.

She laughed nervously. "You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head, his eyes never leaving the particular spot. "Your turn." He barely breathed.

"You still have milk at the corner of your lips." She tried to distract him by pressing another tissue to his mouth.

It worked, though. He flinched from the close contact, and then felt his limbs go heavy. And he froze, all over again. Damn, he felt like a child whenever he was beside her.

Their faces were only inches away.

She smiled into his face. "You really have milk at your mouth, I'm not lying." She was giggling abit.

"You're just trying to distract me from--"

"I'm not."

"You are."

Pout. "I'm not."

Frown. "You are."

"Am not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not! Shut up or I'll make you!"

"Don't you dare--"

And she shut him up promptly, but cutting in and swooping down to claim his milk-tinged lips with hers.

**owari **


	6. the price for a date

Title: the price for a date  
Author: mysterio-san  
Pairing: touyaxnakuru  
Fandom: CCS  
Theme: #4, sunset  
Disclaimer: apply standard CCS disclaimer.

_**dedicated to cass-san, for having waited nearly eternity for this 5th update. this is for you! XD **_

-

Touya stared at Nakuru with wide eyes. "What..." He had difficulty forming the words in his mind. He was all too aware of the few money notes that she had offered him. Finally snapping back into his normal state, he blinked, "What's this for?"

Her eyes were innocently bright and cheerful, not least normal for the genki guardian of a powerful mage. "I'm offering a price!"

"Huh?" He shot her a quizzical look that said I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about.

She took his hand, and pressed the notes into his palm. "Is this enough?"

He did not understood. "But Akizuki--"

"NAKURU."

"Fine," he blew his fringe out of his eyes, irritably, but stared back at her soon enough, "_Nakuru. _I don't need money, why are you--"

"Oh, sure, you don't need them!" Her eyes were shining. She was bouncing on her feet.

An arched eyebrow, as he held the notes in his hand. "So...why?"

"Because..." She trailed off suddenly, before her eyes uncomfortably meeting with the ground. "Anou...This is kind of dumb, Touya-kun."

Noting the uneasiness displayed on her facial features, Touya felt awkward, and shifted on his feet. He didn't like it when a usually cheery Nakuru would look like this. When she hadn't looked up, he finally lifted a finger to her chin, and made her do so.

"Well?" He pressed, his voice not harsh.

"Well..." Nakuru grinned sheepishly, running a finger through her hair. (To this, Touya swallowed. He hated how her hair could look like silk and still be all nice and silky after a hard long day of school. It wasn't fair sometimes.) "Do you want to hear my reason?"

Touya looked at the money notes in his hands. "Yes..." He sniffed in the scent of her strawberry shampoo. Her hair tickled his face when the wind blew.

He tried not to be distracted. _Focus_, he told himself, _listen to what she has got to say_.

"Anou..." Her voice was cheery, again. But even Touya could tell that she was a little nervous, despite this being Nakuru, and Nakuru was never uncertain in many issues...Perhaps this was the exceptional case.

Touya did not press furthur. He merely looked at her expectantly.

He saw hope in her eyes.

And she suddenly giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "Er...I asked if you were busy tonight, remember?"

"Well, yeah...I remember." He recalled their phonecall conversation last night.

"You said you were." She told him. "And that was because you have work at the ice cream parlor this evening, right?"

"...Right." He wasn't sure where this was getting.

She beamed, though he was sure she looked more and more dejected, as if she knew he would reject her immediately once he knew her reason. "Well, I wanted to ask you out for a date, to watch the sunset with me."

"...But I--" He wanted to tell her that that would mean losing a day's income of work, when she chirped in, almost too nonchalantly--

"That's why I thought of buying your time." She was referring to the money notes. Her eyes met his, grinning. "So that if I pay you back what you could have earn when you're working, then maybe you'll watch the sunset with me tonight without having to worry about your docked pay."

The world shook beneath his feet.

Touya Kinomoto promptly forgot every other thing.

Except the small, small request she had just asked. And the hope and eagerness in her eyes.

His mind went blank for a minute, until he saw a hand waved before his vision, snatching him back to reality. "Earth to Touya!"

His eyes met hers, all over again. He was only half-conscious of the money notes in his hands.

"So..." She laughed abit. "Is it okay? If I buy your time so that you can watch the sunset with me?"

Time froze to nothing.

Touya stood staring blankly at the same spot, until he nodded slowly, a slow, rare smile slowly touching the edges of his lips.

"Sure, you can."

Her eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"

He nodded again, this time, firmer. "Except for one thing."

"Which is?" She was bouncing on her feet eagerly again.

And he was only partially aware of the words that escaped his lips as she leant in to kiss him on the cheek.

"If I buy you back your time, that is."

**owari**


End file.
